Alaska INBRE proposes to build a Network that will broaden and strengthen our capacity and performance in biomedical research, with an emphasis on increased R01 funding. We also propose effective teaching strategies and research opportunities for undergraduate students throughout the state in order to grow an educational pipeline. The Specific Aims are: 1) To enlarge and sustain the inter-campus network for environmental health research with a continuing focus on molecular toxicology of subsistence species and an emerging focus on infectious agents, including zoonotic diseases; 2) To support research projects of INBRE junior faculty, postdocs, and graduate students; 3) To provide research opportunities for undergraduate students, from rising freshmen to graduating seniors, across Alaska; 4) To reach out to students and teachers at Alaska's smaller colleges, health corporations, hospitals, and other organizations at rural sites with the aim of engaging them in INBRE research projects; and 5) To enhance science knowledge of the Alaskan workforce through training programs and transition-to-college offerings at network campuses and Outreach sites. Seven recent UA faculty hires form the intellectual backbone of the research theme, with two new faculty positions proposed in the INBRE. Substantial funds are targeted to provide research project support (pilot project grants) for these young faculty, as well as mentoring, graduate student support, and other faculty training and development opportunities. Bioinformatics Core faculty provide expertise in research approaches and data management to the research core team of investigators. The INBRE Outreach Core program will develop and expand the undergraduate student pipeline into health careers and biomedical graduate education, and includes support for undergraduate research internships, new biomedical course work, and mentoring programs aimed specifically at Alaska Native students.